How
frequently do we identify with the cartoon? Be it in the position of the
drowning person asking for ‘A’ but the bystander sees it as ‘B’, or in the
position of the bystander interpreting a message different from the original meaning.
Effective
communication is important to me as it is part and parcel of my everyday life.
From communicating with my parents, friends, schoolmates, project mates,
professors to the near future with colleagues and boss. Effective communication
is also evident in our body system in which every heartbeat and every breath is
a result of our organs communicating with each other. A breakdown in communication, however, could potentially
lead to conflicts and bad relations with others.
Effective
communication requires time and skills. It requires wisdom in choosing the
right channel (email, text message, phone call, face to face etc. ), using the
right phrases and speaking with appropriate tone and speed. Effective
communication requires effort in understanding the culture and background of
the audience as well. Communication is not only about verbal talking and
presenting, but also non-verbal body language and written form (blogging, resume,
proposal and email).
Effective
communication is not all about ME, but OTHERS as well. Someone once told me
that there is a reason why we are created with TWO ears and ONE mouth, and also
‘be slow to speak, but quick to listen’. Active listening is important to me in
getting to know the speaker better and also encouraging the speaker, letting
him/her feel appreciated. We can ‘listen’ to others not just from what they
speak, but their body language and facial expressions as well.
To end off,
I feel that sincerity speaks to the hearts of people and skills are tools to
help achieve effective communication.
3 comments:
Hey!! Great use of graphics here! :)
Really thorough thoughts, especially the part about being sincere. If we put our heart and soul into our thoughts and transform it into words, we should be able to communicate our intents correctly. This also requires, time, as we must patiently build our thoughts together and string them up before displaying them.
Cheers!
Haha Jo! Communication within our body system was an interesting parallel to what's been discussed in class!
I do second your thought on how we ought to consider the non-verbal cues of each exchange. For one, I am easily irritated at people who tend to SHAKE THEIR LEGS. Haha I feel that it is rather distracting!
Definitely, sincerity is one important part of communication. Sincerity allows one to empathize in a sharing. Be it through words, sight, touch etc, sincerity put forth engagement and consideration for other's situations.
Just a little add on, the ancient writing of 'listen' in chinese, 聽, is also a useful word to highlight your idea of listening with sincerity and empathy. The word itself comprises of the ears ‘耳’, eyes ’目‘, and undivided ’一‘ attention ’心‘. Quite an interesting word huh! Haha, not too sure about the simplified version ’听‘ though!
Nice! An illustration can indeed be painted with a thousand words. =) Misunderstanding an intended meaning from sender to receiver often occur. This not only surfaces between strangers but manifests among friends too. Whenever this arises, receiver usually sends out an apparent negative feedback either verbally or non-verbally. Therefore, I second that you ought to 'listen' to body language and facial expression too.
In addition to what candice had mentioned, I think the modern '听' means how much you weigh '斤' what is spoken '口' is through listening '听'.
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